apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Anything but what the mobsters (Bush and Cheney) eat on.

The wings on that Eagle appear to have been clipped...
...and the Magnolia Service looks like something from the 70's - It would be perfect for a retirement home.

I'd rather use what's left of the elegant Reagan China Service

Yick. I realllly don't want to look at flowers on my plate when I'm eating. It's very dated even before it arrives. It seems to be not very fitting for the Obamas.

I like the magnolias -- it's distinctively Southern. The eagle looks vaguely fascist.

Agree that Nancy Reagan's red china is better, though.

i also find both patterns fugly. laura sticks it to michelle: enjoy your new home...eat on this!

Huh? I thought we were entering into a new age of austerity (at least the NY Times says we are) where understatement is supposed to be all the rage.

Sadly this means this pattern will become popular in the department stores of America with badly executed and cheap knockoffs.

Personally, I think it is horribly tacky. Gold and Gilt and Gold and Gilt. It makes me dizzy to look at it.

This pattern is sort of a leftover of the excess and over the top Bonfire of the Vanities age of wall street. Maybe they bought it on sale or something though.

"I like the magnolias -- it's distinctively Southern."

Lisa, that occurred to me too -
- As appealing as it imagery might be to Laura Bush, it probably won't go over quite as well w/ Mrs Obama and her Mother...
...considering they are descendants of slaves.

Oh, wait sorry. I didn't read the post closely. Silly me. Of course the Bush would pick these patterns. They fit as a symbol: Tacky, Excessive, Wasteful.

My very Southern family has left me with several very nice different sets of china. None of them are like these (thank the F god). I think my grandmother would call Bush's choices, "Gilding the Lily" (not a compliment).

Can't wait to see what the Obamas pick.

Go for a White House tour if they still give them, you get to see the china cupboards with all the historical patterns. Unbelievable!!!!

I too like the magnolia china, absolutely perfect for a luncheon.

OMG Mississippians are going to be ALL OVER that second set. Like there isn't enough magnolia crap in the deep south already. What's next? China with lighthouses? Yuck.

"Can't wait to see what the Obamas pick."

Lizzy - The Obamas most likely will not choose any china services - the last new white House State China service was purchased during the Reagan Administration...

...and bear in mind that the government pays little if anything for the State China Services used at the White House - the majority of funds are donated for the purpose.

Even though they used donated funds, I cannot understand the expenditure at this time and given the state of our economy:

THE COST WAS $500,000!!!

For the love of God... I just don't get it and, apparently, neither does the White House.

Can the Obamas bring their own dishes for the residence?

i dont dig the china but i do dig magnolias. and being the descendent of slaves and family lynchings and cross burnings myself, i dont find a southern flower as a motif to be inherently offensive. contrary to popular belief, some negroes don't waste time finding offense where there is none, especially when it's not threatening your civil liberties.

Just when you think the Bushes can't possibly suck even more...magnolias.

I don't like either of those... both are tacky and overdone.

I have no problem with bold patterns, but they don't seem to mesh well with fine china, to be honest. Everyday dishware it looks awesome, especially on modern-styled square dishes, but on traditional silhouettes not so much.

My mom has the Royal Doulton Memory Lane (white bone china with tiny forget-me-nots) and I think it looks much more elegant than either of these.

"Oh, wait sorry. I didn't read the post closely. Silly me. Of course the Bush would pick these patterns. They fit as a symbol: Tacky, Excessive, Wasteful.

Can't wait to see what the Obamas pick."

Tacky, excessive, and wasteful would be purchasing new sets of dinnerware when the White House can already serve an army on what is in storage. Just because someone can doesn't mean he should.

I like Obama, and hope to see less outrageous expenditures on his watch. -crosses fingers-

I would have loved to have seen this originally posted without names attached. The responses would have been far more interesting without the polarization.

Better yet, had the patterns been attributed to the Obamas, the responses would have been much more positive.

Gold and gilt is tacky. Sterling is more elegant. The magnolia plates aren't that bad but both sets of flatware are atrocious.

I love them! It is nice to see some good taste representing the USA to foreign dignitaries who visit the white house. It wouldn't be good to use pottery or stoneware or even plain china. Visitors are from many different cultures most of which have lots of gold on their china!

Seaside, I don't think anyone, even the most devoted Obama supporter, could say anything positive about the eagle service. It's hideous.

What I want to know is, what kind of person donates to the White House china fund?

I don't care who purchased this stuff, it's hideous. Gold flatware with pearl handles is just awful. Actually, pearl handles can stand for awful without the hideous gold.

I don't know how foreign dignitaries feel about eating off this sort of thing, but I'm guessing they will view it for what it is - the flaunting of wealth (in the form of over the top usage of gold) attempting to masquerade as taste.

oh dear. those are pretty hideous. possibly the only plates i've seen that can eclipse the hideousness of my friend's (tongue-in-cheek) commemorative plates. you know the ones.

where's the presidential ashtray?

these plates are so the presidential housewife has something to do. if you want to pick these plates, then marry a president.

say, can bam unload these on ebay? you can't even nuke these.

I don't understand this procedure. Laura Bush just unveiled new China designs in January when the president has 3 weeks left to serve, or this is some traditional favor they do for the incoming administration/First Family? It's beyond ugly. It's gaudy, it's foul. I thought we weren't having a monarchy.

They should have gone with a nice boxed set from Target.

Or at least gone with some cool Eva Zeisel.

This is just one more "F*ck You, Amurikuh!" from the Bush clan.

www.thebitterfoodie.blogspot.com

Oh, and madsarah: What kind of person donates to the White House China Fund?

Google it. Pretty funny stuff.

"Better yet, had the patterns been attributed to the Obamas, the responses would have been much more positive."

The Obamas never would have chosen something like this. Did you see Michelle's election night dress? She's a risk-taker, not a stuffy old lady.

I can understand the gold, because it's almost mandatory for a state-leader to have gilted dinnerware. (Don't we want our country to look fancy and rich to others? They have the same gold, don't worry.) But the magnolia . . . blugh! How TACKY.

Why not just get china with a big armadillo on it?

You must understand, the residence china was picked for Sarah Palin's family since Laura just knew they would be soon be the occupant!

I have a sudden terrible urge to eat dinner with a gold fork and a gold knife with mother of pearl handles. I would never even want to own them, and yet there's something about such a ridiculous flaunt of wealth....

It's definitely not to my tastes, but look on the bright side - all that money went to an American company, and probably paid quite a few paychecks of people working on making that china.

Going on what I've seen of the Saudi royalty's digs, the only foreign dignitaries who will appreciate this dinner service will hail from that country.

I believe this is a traditional offering. It is funded I believe in part by contributions and a White House fund. I don't see what the big fuss is. Just because the economy is down a little bit you think the White House should look like a Traget ad? Very important people from all over the world come to the White House. I assure you they won't be offended by the gilded dinnerware. The White House is very glamorous but should it not be? I mean, they don't have gold EVERYWHERE. I think it is fitting, and for those of you who think this is tacky look at the past china. It all looks like this. And the whole race/slavery comment regarding the magnolia is just beyond me. Get a life. I am sure a flower doesn't remind Michelle of her ancestors. The south isn't just about slavery you know. Damn. Those comments disgust me more that anything else about America. There are a lot of black people from the south who do like the south.

Sorry I meant Target ad :)

For those of you upset about when the china showed up: Hillary waited until 2000, her last year in the White House, to order new White House china. I've read that Laura Bush ordered her new china a while ago but I have no specifics on how long ago it was.

From what I've read, most new White House china is based on another president's china. This is what I found concerning the new Bush china:

"The porcelain place setting service features a green basket weave border based on a French dinner service believed to have been owned by James and Dolley Madison. The dessert plates replicate a laurel wreath found on the Madison’s Parisian c.1799-1805 dinner plates. The serving plates and the rim of other pieces also feature an eagle emblem inspired by an American Bald Eagle inlay found on the center drawer of the Massachusetts sideboard, believed to have been owned by Daniel Webster."

um - I LOVE THEM! i came scrolling on down here just to comment on that fact, and i've been amused (but not surprised: y'all are a touchy bunch!) by all the vitriol. laura bush is a surprisingly classy lady, and i quite enjoy both patterns. i would have gone for an old gold, but that's just me. other than that, i'm from the south, i'm a first generation american (my parents are from west africa), and at the end of the day, sometimes a magnolia is just a magnolia.

some may be sad she didn't use a cherry blossom (more dc) or a different bloom from a flowering tree (perhaps something frequently seen outside houses used on the underground railroad), but i really doubt that michelle obama - or anyone else with a life to lead - will sit around being offended by magnolia blossoms for any length of time.

HIDEOUS.
Just like the war criminal whose sedated Stepford wife picked them out.
She should have been arrested for manslaughter decades ago....not picking out china.

Terrible, One style and taste, two wasting money, and three message to the American people!!! = We all strugle, and let them eat cake in the White house off new plates... a few more days before these MORONS are gone!!! Lets put it all on ebay, and then take the money and use it for something good like education, alternate energy research, helping the elderly...and 1,000 more causes!!!

"As appealing as it imagery might be to Laura Bush, it probably won't go over quite as well w/ Mrs Obama and her Mother...
...considering they are descendants of slaves."

bepsf, sometimes your brand of snark is vaguely amusing, but in this instance you simply sound IGNORANT. As though everything Southern were offensive to all and related only to slavery...how narrow, how sad. What's that quote about how those who fail to understand history are failed to repeat it? Yeah, that's you dude.

Wow, hdtex. If only Laura Bush could be as classy as you.

I'd also like to thank parrishnut for demonstrating that passion is no substitute for wisdom. Or literacy.

I personally think both sets of china are hideous, even if based on historic references.

Not everything in the past is worth reviving ad nauseum -- just because a design was popular in the past, does not make it sacrosanct, or worth repeating or reinterpreting.

Let's give current designers a chance. I say this as someone who worked for many years in heritage preservation, and who is unimpressed with the fugliness of the White House. Restoring the Lincoln bedroom may have historical significance (although Lincoln himself despised that bed!), but making the rest of the White House ugly in keeping is unfortunate. The White House must be allowed some stylistic leaway in order to reflect the evolution of the nation.

That said, I am very troubled by comments such as those made by modtramp:

"Even though they used donated funds, I cannot understand the expenditure at this time and given the state of our economy"

Modtramp, those dishes (ugly as they may be!) were made by an American manufacturer, one of the precious few left. The people who made the dishes are probably facing a grim future: with stiff competition and a sinking economy, not many will be buying their dishes. I am thus happy that they had at least this major commission as a form of support of their industry.

My wish is that the Obama's use the economic threats against this industry to commission more appropriate china from the manufacturer, and auction off these two sets to Bush supporters.

At least the china will be used by many, unlike Nancy Pelosi's taxy payer funded private jet excursions to and from Washington DC.

Zhahira, that dress is not risk taking. It is hideous and I hope it isn't representative of the President Elect or the First Lady Elect's taste.

Only an opportunity to "Bush bash" could bring on this many posts.

At first I looked at the pictures and thought these would be the plates the Obama's were bringing in, and I kind of paused and thought, "really? Michelle chose that?"
But then I laughed out loud at miss sparrow's comment about this being Laura's parting shot. (Which I'm sure it really wasn't. To think, she's probably sad that she won't get to enjoy them.)

I like the State Service but I think half a million dollars is excessive. It's more than double what Reagan or Clinton spent. The Bushes didn't entertain that much during their eight years in office. And it took so long to make that they never got to use it.

I don't like the Magnolia Residence Service. I think 75 place settings is excessive for "casual" dining in the residence! Who needs that much for everyday dining?!

I can't see Michell Obama buying new State China. Usually that is purchased when enough china gets broken that there isn't enough to accomodate large state dinners, etc. Since the Bush Service is brand new, it's going to be a while. But I can see Michelle buying a new Residence Service - something more kid friendly and indestructable with fewer pieces and place settings.

Speaking as someone with a flower design on my dinnerware, I do not think that the Magnolia pattern is too bad. I also like the green lattice aspect of the formal. I am not a huge fan of the gold myself, and think it is a bit gaudy for a private dinner, but this is the White House. It is supposed to be a bit over the top and aweing.

As for the cost, as long as it was not tax-payer funded, I have no problem. To the contrary, in these times, when few people are likely buying new china for themselves, I am glad that money is being spent by those who can afford it to support design and decorating companies.

I have some Eva Zeisel hallcraft dishes I would love to sell them.